It’s been a long road in the trial of former deputy senate president,
ike ekweremadu who has been in detention in the uk since june 2022 for
alleged organ trafficking until the final conviction in march 2023
The Ekweremadu’s faced charges of conspiring to traffic a person for
organ harvesting which is in violation of the modern slavery act 2015.
IKE EKWEREMADU : Face Of Justices
IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD IN THE TRIAL OF FORMER DEPUTY SENATE PRESIDENT, IKE EKWEREMADU WHO HAS BEEN IN DETENTION IN THE UK SINCE JUNE 2022 FOR ALLEGED ORGAN TRAFFICKING UNTIL THE FINAL CONVICTION IN MARCH 2023 THE EKWEREMADU’S FACED CHARGES OF CONSPIRING TO TRAFFIC A PERSON FOR ORGAN HARVESTING WHICH IS IN VIOLATION OF THE MODERN SLAVERY ACT 2015…..
Mr Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu, were on 23 June
arrested in the UK by London met police and charged with conspiracy to
traffic a ‘minor’ to the united kingdom in order to harvest organs.
according to the prosecutors, the couple has a daughter who has a
kidney-related disease and has been on dialysis for quite some time.
they added that they believe the plan was to use an organ from the boy
on their daughter who needs a kidney transplant.
the victim of the trafficking suit , David nwamini, who claimed to be
15 years of age when the heat was on, had accused the lawmaker of
coercing him into donating his kidney against his will to his
daughter, Sonia, aged 25.
Report say the victim was a street trader from Lagos, who was brought
to the UK last year to provide a kidney in an £80,000 pounds private
transplant at the royal free hospital in London.
The prosecution said he was offered up to £7,000 pounds and promised
opportunities in the UK for helping, and that he only realized what
was going on when he met doctors at the hospital.
Although it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if
there is a reward of money or other material advantage.
after what seems to be an endless ordeal in the hands of the British
court, ekweremadu, 60; his wife, Beatrice, 56; and their medical
‘middleman,’ obinna obeta, 51, were found guilty of facilitating the
travel of David nwamini, (proven to be over 20 years of age by a
Westminster court), to Britain with a view to exploiting his kidney.
Despite backlash and calls for intervention alike , of note from the
ohanaeze ndi igbo, who predicated their call on cultural relativism,
nigeria’s enduring good relations with the UK, and the fact that all
persons involved in the kidney saga are Nigerians. ohanaeze believes that the fact that
ekweremadu wrote the uk high commission in Nigeria to support the
young man’s medical visa application, and also made full disclosure of
the donor’s mission and down to the hospital were clear indications
that he acted in good faith and without any willful intent to breach
any law’.
But the reality is that the law in place brings men and women,
feared back home because of their power and influence, to justice,
according to what it is, in the united kingdom.
while it is sad that a fathers love and quest to save his daughter
ended up messy, there are quite a number of lessons for our leaders
and judicial system in Nigeria.
In all, the convictions of the Ekweremadus and Obeta set an unenviable
record by becoming the first to be jailed for the organ harvesting
crime strand of the modern slavery act , analysts say it signals yet
another triumph for the British legal system.
